Better data leads to better decisions. Better decisions lead to better outcomes.
At CPAL, data is central to everything we do. We bridge information gaps by delivering actionable data to families, partner organizations, and local government.
Our work in action
A sampling of published media + data
CPAL's Trust Her team gives contraception access to more women
Through the Trust Her initiative, CPAL works to dramatically increase access to free or low-cost contraception.
- 1.8 million Texas women of childbearing age cannot afford their preferred method of birth control. Without good insurance, an IUD–the most effective form of contraception–can cost up to $1,300.
- Women can often 7 months or more to obtain her method of choice. Appointments may not be available for many weeks and more waits can follow, depending on a clinic’s contraception inventory.
How Big Data Turned an Empty South Dallas Lot Into a Vibrant Plaza
Alongside community partners, CPAL transformed an empty parking lot into a vibrant plaza and place of positivity.
- These efforts are aligned with the work of sociologist Patrick Sharkey whose research shows that community organizations–alongside positive activities–can significantly reduce violent crime in their neighborhoods.
- In 2019, the Malcolm X & Marburg area was the epicenter of violent crime in DPD’s southeast patrol division. By 2021, this area had dropped from the highest risk cell in the patrol division to the 463rd.
Dallas Knows More About Evictions Than Ever Before, Just in Time for a New Surge
CPAL’s new eviction filing dashboard is helping Dallas grasp the scale of the housing insecurity problem tenants face.
- CPAL’s dashboard allows a user to segment eviction filing data by city and county, but it can also explore more granular trends, like by ZIP codes, council districts, and school boundaries.
- In January 2022, Dallas landlords filed 2,056 evictions against tenants within the city limits. While these numbers are about half of what was filed in January 2020, this is still the highest point in the pandemic.
Violent crime is down in Dallas, and here’s why
Dallas has taken a multifaceted approach to reducing violent crime built on data, research, and community-based solutions.
- In 2021, violent crime in the Malcolm X & Marburg area fell 23%, outpacing the 18% reduction across the entire southeast patrol division and also outperforming the 9% citywide violent crime decrease.
- Dallas didn’t arrest its way out of violent crime which is remarkable. In 2019, police made 170 arrests in the Malcolm X and Marburg focus area. In 2021, police made only 69 arrests in that area.
North Texas Eviction Project
NTEP empowers providers, agencies, and policymakers with actionable eviction data to support housing stability in Dallas.
- Eviction disproportionately impacts communities of color, and the likelihood of receiving an eviction judgment is highest for mothers with children.
- NTEP has been used to identify eviction "hotspots" - neighborhoods with a high density of eviction filings - to host rent relief pop-up events and to conduct tenant/landlord outreach and education.
When parents go to jail, children are the hidden victims
Dallas County has more children with parents behind bars than any of its peers across Texas.
- As many as 100,000 children a year in Dallas have parents behind bars. These children have a much higher risk of aggression and antisocial behavior, suspension and expulsion, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide, and incarceration.
- With people of color representing 8 out of 10 of the incarcerated, Black and Latino children are disproportionately affected. They are 7.5 times and 2.3 times more likely than white children, respectively, to have had an incarcerated parent.